CUSTOM DIRECT TO GARMENT

Direct to Garment Printing (DTG) Explained

Direct to garment printing (also known as DTG or digital printing) is the newest and most advanced type of apparel decoration. Instead of using screens for each color like screen printing does, direct to garment printing uses a specially designed inkjet printer to print full color images directly onto the garment in minutes. In other words, direct to garment printing doesn’t print on another medium first. For example, heat transfers, sublimation, and vinyl all have an additional step in the production process.

There can be large variances in the quality of DTG printers (from modified ink jet printers to custom built industrial machines). Therefore, some machines do not have the ability to print white ink or on materials other than cotton. Ours can do both! Advantages of direct to garment printing over screen printing are quick setup times and affordable, vibrant, full color prints. Additionally, using CYMK+White inks, you can print a one-off photograph on a shirt for under $20. With traditional screen printing using 4 color process printing, this same job would likely cost you well over $200 with screen charges and printing minimums.

Our Kornit Breeze DTG Printers

Artwork Settings:

Below you will find tips on how to setup your files to get the best looking print possible, and also things to look out for when choosing a company that offers direct-to-garment printing.

For best results, artwork should ideally come in the following formats:

Vector: Corel Draw (.cdr), Adobe Illustrator (.ai), .svg, or .eps files CMYK. Files should be converted to curves/outlines so font’s are not an issue.

Photoshop: 300 dpi image sized to be the actual print size you want on the shirt; 8-bit; CMYK; merge all files to a single layer, and MUST be on a transparent background. It should not have background images, and should be setup so there is less than 1/8″ space between the image and the edge of the art board. (Don’t send a 3″ x 3″ image on a 12″ x 10″ art board)

Items downloaded from the internet (unless purchased from artwork sites) are generally only 72 dpi-low resolution files, and in most cases, illegal to reproduce. If you don’t have professional graphic design software, you can use our online designer, or have us create something for you.

Artwork submitted not following these guidelines will result in artwork charges.

Training and environment:

In addition to having a high quality direct to garment printer, proper training is crucial to receive a good looking print. Kornit has given us nearly 40 hours of training on the printers. Graphics setup and curing techniques were also part of the training. This knowledge helps us make prints look vibrant and sharp. Additionally, it is crucial the inks bond to the shirt during the curing process. This allows them to last through dozens of washes. We also have over five years of experience running these machines. Finally, we also developed wet-capping stations for our printers. This allows us to operate them with clear nozzles so ink flow is perfect. The result is streak-free printing. You can spend $150,000 on a great machine, but not placing it in the proper environment will result in many printing issues.

Equipment:

We use state-of-the-art Kornit Digital industrial direct to garment printers and inks. Kornit’s patented printing process pretreats the garment first, and then prints the image directly on top of it (wet on wet printing). This allows for high quality and speedy printing.

Notice:

Due to the sensitivity of the inks and printing process, the colors you see on the screen are not always what you will get when printing. We have print charts with hundreds of colors (and their CMYK values) for you to choose from, along with a list of codes for popular colors. Using these codes when designing your art to print on our printers will give you the best results. For example, see how different red and blue appear on the screen compared to how they look when printed.

Left image: how the images looks on the screen; Right image: how the image looks when printed and dried.

Left image: High resolution photo; Right image: Low resolution photo

CMYK Values:

When designing your artwork for use on our printers, please use the following CMYK values so the results are what you expect:

Black-60/60/0/100

Red-0/100/65/0

Royal Blue-100/46/0/0

Golden Yellow-1/19/100/0

Hot Pink-0/96/20/0

Navy Blue-100/44/0/76

Green-90/0/90/0

Old Gold-16/27/84/16

Purple-79/100/0/15

Crimson-0/100/65/34

Orange-0/50/100/0

Brown-42/73/73/48

Yellow-0/0/100/0

Light Pink-0/50/0/0

For other colors, please come in and check out our color charts. Finally, when designing, CMYK values should add up to be below 260. For example, never make black 100/100/100/100. It will result in too much ink being printed on the shirt and the ink will bleed into other colors.

We sell sets of the above color charts for $20 plus tax so you can get the best color possible. They are highly recommended for all contract DTG customers.

Printable Fabrics:

DTG was designed to print on 100% cotton. 100% ringspun cotton works best, as the fibers are smoother and the ink lays down flatter. Cotton/poly blends will also work, but the less cotton in the garment, the less vibrant the colors will appear. 100% poylester can be printed, but non-cationic polyster cost more to print. Other materials that absorb water generally work. We have printed canvas, denim, masonite board, and wood. For printing on white, and other light colored 100% polyester garments, sublimation may be your answer.

Print Settings:

When digitally printing, there are many settings to choose from that result in thousands of ways to print the same file. These settings include print speed, ink levels, number of coats of white ink (for the underbase), print resolution, etc. While many online fulfillment centers use budget settings and choose quantity over quality, we will choose the best settings for your file and garment. We don’t use automated systems that just print the file as is regardless of how it will look when completed. There can be drastic differences in print quality between budget settings and quality settings.

Curing:

Curing the ink is just as important as the printer and print settings used to print a design. Proper curing must occur to achieve washability and a long-lasting print. Many decorators rush this step and while the design looks done, will not make it through the wash. A good way to know if a print is cured is to stretch it. If the ink stays in place, the print is cured. If it cracks, the ink has not bonded to the shirt. This will fall off in the wash prematurely and you will not be pleased. Stop by our office and we can show you this in person.

Garment Care:

Once you have your garment, proper care is necessary to achieve a normal garment and print life. For all garments, we recommend cold-water washing inside out and hang drying. You may tumble dry on fluff (no heat). Never iron over the decoration. Following these steps will help you achieve the maximum amount of life for your garment. Remember, no garment or print is designed to last forever!